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ITV Report

31 July 2012 at 7:36pm

Face to Face 2012

In an age of soundbites, it's rare to get the chance to talk to those in the public eye at greater length. Face to Face is that opportunity. Politicians, public figures and extraordinary people reveal their thoughts, their motives; what they stand for and why they do what they do.

You can watch the programmes which have already been broadcast this series below. The new editions will be added to this page after they're shown on ITV1 Wales.

Programme 14: Leighton Andrews

Leighton Andrews is known for being an active and assertive Education Minister but more personal experiences of education are in the spotlight as well in tonight's edition of Face to Face.

He speaks about his involvement in student protests when he was at university in Bangor in the 1970s and explains how that shaped his political outlook subsequently. And he reveals how he was mocked for being Welsh by pupils at the school in England he went to after his father died.

But the interview isn't all about the past. We speak at length about his battles with higher education authorities over controversial university mergers and how he intends to tackle poor performance in Welsh schools.

Programme 13: Paul Flynn

Even at the age of 77, Labour MP Paul Flynn clearly remembers the stigma of wearing 'the uniform of shame' to school during a childhood living in what he calls 'dirt poverty.'

In a wide-ranging and at time, intensely personal interview, he talks about the impact of his early life and how it continues to drive his politics today.

Programme 12: Rev. Lionel Fanthorpe

Vicar, writer, broadcaster, headteacher, Black Belt in Karate: Lionel Fanthorpe seems to have lived more lives than most of us. But why does he do it all and what's most important to him? And how does he reconcile a belief in the paranormal with his 'day job' as an Anglican priest?

Programme 11: Gerry Keighley

Until he retired recently, Gerry Keighley was the longest-serving newspaper editor in Wales. In this programme, he talks about the stories and campaigns of more than two decades at the helm of the South Wales Argus and the changes the industry's seen during that time.

Programme 10: Mark Serwotka

As General Secretary of the PCS union, Mark Serwotka hasn't shied away from criticising both the coalition government and the previous Labour administration. In this programme he talks about what motivates him, growing up and becoming politically active in Aberdare and his desire to bring his family back home to Wales.

Programme 9: Sir Terry Matthews

Sir Terry Matthews is known for many things: for being Wales' richest man, for bringing golf's Ryder Cup to Wales, for starting nearly a hundred businesses. In this programme he reveals how growing up in the Gwent valleys shaped the life of an international entrepreneur.

Programme 8: Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds

One of the generation of Thalidomide children, Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds has refused to let disability define her. She's battled throughout her life for her own right to study and work and the rights of others. Campaigner, writer, businesswoman, mum: the remarkable story of an amazing woman.

Programme 7: Andrew RT Davies

In this edition, the leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Assembly talks frankly about his childhood struggles with reading and his present-day struggles with his party machinery.

Programme 6: Owen Smith

Labour's Shadow Welsh Secretary Owen Smith talks about politics and journalism, what motivates him, the future of devolution and how Welsh Labour fits in with the UK party.

Programme 5: Leanne Wood

Just months after becoming the first woman to lead Plaid Cymru, Leanne Wood talks about the Valleys background which shaped her, the values which guide her and the direction she wants to take her party in. Broadcast 14th June 2012.

Programme 4: Cheryl Gillan

The Secretary of State for Wales talks about the personal and political, including the way Margaret Thatcher inspired her to go into politics. Broadcast 7th June 2012.

Programme 3: Ann Clwyd

Cynon Valley MP Ann Clwyd reflects on a long and sometimes controversial career as a thorn in Tony Blair's side and a champion of the Kurdish people of Iraq. Broadcast 19th April 2012.

Programme 2: Dafydd Iwan

In a frank and revealing interview the singer and language campaigner talks about politics, protest and prison. He discusses the music which inspired him and the religious doubts he grapples with. Broadcast 12th April 2012.

Programme 1: Peter Hain

The first programme in this series featured former Welsh Secretary Peter Hain looking back at how his political career took him from an anti-apartheid campaigner to Cabinet Secretary. Broadcast 16th February 2012.